Way of the Master?
I've just listened to the Infidel Guy's podcast of his appearance on "The Way of the Master" radio. And it was uncomfortable listening for me. I'm a Christian, so I guess I'm supposed to be on the same side as the 'way of the Master' folk and not on the side of the infidel atheist, but listening to that show made me want to scream at the believers.
For a start, it is utterly pointless to try and rely on 'the authority of the bible' in a debate with someone who doesn't even acknowledge the existance of God.
But, going beyond that, the main thrust of the 'way of the Master' folk is to persuade the non-believer that they are an evil sinner and deserve to burn in eternal torment, oh, and there's something about mercy too, but mostly its about hellfire and torment... you evil people.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the bible say that it is the responsibility of the Holy Spirit to 'convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment' (John 16:8) while our responsibility is to 'give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect...' (1 Peter 3:15).
There was not much 'hope' evident in the 'Way of the Master' show, and 'gentleness and respect' were lacking too.
3 Comments:
Why don't you respond to Maxwell?...
Sorry Maxwell, sorry Anonymous, I simply forgot to ever reply.
I am not downplaying sin or the need for repentance, but I don't see the need to share the 'bad news' along with the good. It is wrong to kick people to the ground before offering a hand to lift them back up. Jesus did not do this.
The gospel is the Good News - not the good and the bad together. It is not my place to convince people that they are sinners before introducing them to Jesus. The good news is simply this: God is near and you can meet him. Yes, it will involve repentance, but the Gospel is all about the goodness of God, it is not about the badness of us.
You may also have missed my followup to this post regarding the next interaction between Way of The Master Folk and the Infidel Guy. [read it here]
Ric.
"Jesus did not do this." all though I don't recall Jesus kicking anyone down before he picked them up. He did go and make a whip and 'kick' people out of a temple.
I suggest you read what Jesus said to the rich young ruler (Mark 10), the woman at the well (John 4:16-18), the self righteous lawyer (Luke 10:25-29). Study how he interacted and things he said to and about the pharisees (Matthew 23:23, John 7:19, Matthew 23:1-3) and I think you will find the Jesus in scripture you think is missing.
Also can take a look at some of the things Paul said about the Law (and even Jesus for that matter) and how Peter made the Jew's sin personal when witnessing to them in Acts.
You might not want to witness like Ray Comfort does open air (which needs to be loud) when witnessing one 2 one, but Kirk Cameron is a good example of being patient, loving and compassionate with people even though he is teaching sinners their ways (Psalm 51:13).
There is other stuff I can talk about such as "Open rebuke is better than secret love." Proverbs 27:5 and analogies like "warning people about cars, instead of bragging about the side walk" is Loving and love in some cases doesn't hold back the truth.
thanks for reading, cheers. God Bless
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